Thinking about getting into haying for my own use and for small $$$

[foreman Etexas]

Don't expect to make tight perfectly shaped rolls, like the ones in the pretty advertisements, for a while. It takes some practice. If your baling on any hills
think about how you dump the roll. They like to roll down hills while they are tight. If you can get your windrows of raked hay adjusted so you can discharge them near each other in groups it saves a lot of time when picking up to take to the barn.
Have fun, keep your sugar level up, and drink lots of water.
How long before baling starts in E Texas?

Hay already hitting the ground,folks baling up what they got in the pastures now(rye and whatever). I would say gonna pull calves off meadow and fertilize next week and pray for rain,were having hot days and cool nights with heavy dew,may get first cutting mid./late May,depending on rain.

 

[pacerron]

Having a horse is like having a new baby. Everyone and their uncle wants to convince you that you are totally irresponsible if you don't provide the absolute best of everything.

Horse hay needs two things...

1) Low mold and low dust. Dust and mold are especially critical if you stable the horses or if you feed them in an enclosed area. I feed mine in the open, an the wind always blows in Idaho. Dust is not as much of a concern for me.

2) Low nutrient. This is why so many horse owners prefer grass hay to alfalfa. Alfalfa has a lot of energy and a lot of protein. Most horses are pasture ornaments. They really don't burn a lot of calories. If you have a performance horse that you are riding hot and heavy every day the game changes.

Perfect description by "playfarmer" above:thumbsup:
The only thing I would add is certain weeds and too much clover can create problems. Pregnant mares can have problems with some fescue grasses.
If you have two or more horses together they always establish a pecking order so if you feed them hay and especially grain without watching what goes on, just assuming each will eat its fair share you may wonder in time why one horse looks so much better than the other.
Then when you start training them or ride them the underfed one may decide
that now he is going to show dominance over you to get even with his buddies. You can't let that happen.
At the same time the overfed horse may be so full of energy that you have to work it on the line for a long time to calm it down.
So good food and water in managed amounts pays off in the end.
If they are just yard ornaments, they will work it out on their own.
Time to ride!

 

[bigbull338]

if you have your baler set right you can make nice tight pretty bales no question about it.an if you make good windrows you can put up nice hay bales.

 

[blueriver]

Hay already hitting the ground,folks baling up what they got in the pastures now(rye and whatever). I would say gonna pull calves off meadow and fertilize next week and pray for rain,were having hot days and cool nights with heavy dew,may get first cutting mid./late May,depending on rain.

We are ready on 160 acres of heavy rye grass that was fertilized about 30 days ago ... problem now is the 10 day is calling for 20-30% chance of rain ... want to make that 100% ... just knock down some hay.

 

[blueriver]

if you have your baler set right you can make nice tight pretty bales no question about it.an if you make good windrows you can put up nice hay bales.

And feed that baler some hay ... with the right windrows, speed and let her eat as much as she can.

 

[foreman Etexas]

We are ready on 160 acres of heavy rye grass that was fertilized about 30 days ago ... problem now is the 10 day is calling for 20-30% chance of rain ... want to make that 100% ... just knock down some hay.

Aint that the truth:laughing: I am going to go bale my brothers 10acres to clean it up and try the new stuff out. I have been taking care of it but couldnt ever get anyone to stop and bale it,the neighbors hay guy wouldnt mess with it. I also have another 20acres a guy just wonts me to rake it and burn windrows.I also made a deal with the guy I feed cows for when he is out of town,that I would cut and rake his but lined someone up to bale it(im using his tractor not mine). The guy at work that,hooked me up with hay when I really needed some,has 5acres down the road about 5 miles from me,gonna cut a bale and buy the hay. I already have a buddy of mine making Not For Hirer Stickers

 

[pacerron]

Aint that the truth:laughing: I am going to go bale my brothers 10acres to clean it up and try the new stuff out. I have been taking care of it but couldnt ever get anyone to stop and bale it,the neighbors hay guy wouldnt mess with it. I also have another 20acres a guy just wonts me to rake it and burn windrows.I also made a deal with the guy I feed cows for when he is out of town,that I would cut and rake his but lined someone up to bale it(im using his tractor not mine). The guy at work that,hooked me up with hay when I really needed some,has 5acres down the road about 5 miles from me,gonna cut a bale and buy the hay. I already have a buddy of mine making Not For Hirer Stickers

A word of caution about fields you haven't done before.
If your in an area that has rocks on or near the surface they can mess up
your new equipment real quick. I'd talk to the owners about any obstacles before starting.

 

[blueriver]

Aint that the truth:laughing: I am going to go bale my brothers 10acres to clean it up and try the new stuff out. I have been taking care of it but couldnt ever get anyone to stop and bale it,the neighbors hay guy wouldnt mess with it. I also have another 20acres a guy just wonts me to rake it and burn windrows.I also made a deal with the guy I feed cows for when he is out of town,that I would cut and rake his but lined someone up to bale it(im using his tractor not mine). The guy at work that,hooked me up with hay when I really needed some,has 5acres down the road about 5 miles from me,gonna cut a bale and buy the hay. I already have a buddy of mine making Not For Hirer Stickers

That happened to me ... when I got the equipment everyone had 5, 10, 20 acres ... if you keep it cut you can have it. Over the years I have narrowed it down to the land I own or rent.

Had a real nice 40 and worked hard to clean it up ... 3 years into it the guy decided to let his BIL have it ... now I take 5 year leases.

 

[flusher]

I don't do hay nor do I have horses so could someone explain to me what makes for the good quality "horse hay" everyone talks about? Are there also other classifications of hay based on quality?

MarkV

What the other guys said--plus low weed content. Around here we fight yellow star thistle and fiddleneck infestations constantly in dry land hay farming. Both of these weeds are toxic to horses and cattle. Sheep and goats are less susceptable. My neighbor grows alfalfa on about 30 irrigated acres and has to control the Johnson grass that gets into the crop periodically. This year we have an outbreak of whitetop (hoary cress) that's taken over some of the hayfields that are out of production. That stuff is toxic to horses and sucks up lotsa soil nutrients.

 

[Bigfoot62]

We've been talking about making hay that never gets wet. It's also important to store your baler in a building so it never gets wet. A round baler has all kinds of sharp edged nooks and crannies that get seed and grass pieces hung up in them. The crap needs to be removed, especially at the end of the season so the mice will look elsewhere for a home.
It is very tempting to raise the discharge, open all the doors and use a power washer or hose. Not a good idea.
I find it much better for the equipment and actually easier, to open everything up, shut down the tractor, ( be sure to use the safety blocks on the lift cyclinders ) and pull or cut as much as possible of the wound up hay on the shaft ends and under the belt tension rollers. Then I take a piece of 1/2 inch metal conduit that I bent a curve on one end. To this I have taped an air hose with a blast nozzle on the end. I can blow all the seeds and dust off the baler without getting on a ladder and without getting myself covered
with the seeds and dirt. ( Yet another use for duct tape ) Then I lube the chains, the many many zerks, and check everything else. Put it in the barn, add a few mothballs to the twine box to keep the mice away and I'm ready to roll next season when time is critical.

Yes, it's very important to clean up the baler. I'll give you a very quick and easy way to do that:

Gas-powered leaf blower. :thumbsup: